Eye-testing machine



H. D. REESE AND I. M. HARLESS.

lEYE TESTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 2l, I92I.

1,437,776 i Patentd Dee. 5,1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

ZI'I I PIII III , @QI E Br j .2 nx

Arron/vers IED. REESE AND I. M. HIARLEss.

EYE TESTING MACHINE. y APPLICATION FILED APR. 2r. 192|.

Patented D60. 5, 1922. i 50 a mers-snm z.

KQI

,4 TTOH/VEYS H. D. REESE AND 1. M. HARLESS.

EYE TESTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILEDYAPR.2I,1921.

1 ,437,776', Patented Dec. 5, 1922.

3 SHEETS-'SHEET 3. JQ

A TTORNEYS Patented Use, 5, 1922. I

HENRY DOBSON REESE, 0F BILXI, AND JOSEPH MARVIN HARLESS, OF GULFPORT, MISSISSIPPI, ASSIGNORS OF ONE-THIRD TO lJOHN DEARING'ODNEAL, 0F GULFPORT,

MISSISSIPPI.

y EYE-TESTING MACHINE.

provide a machine of the .above character,`

which is extremely simple in operation.

It is also an object of the invention to provide an eye testing machine which may be easily manipulated or operatedy by the person whose eyes are being tested.

It is a further object of the invention that the eye testing machine be incorporated with a cabinet so that the same can have an artistic housing.

Other objects and objects relating to vde` tails of construction, combination and arrangement of parts will hereinafter appear in the description to follow.

The invention is illustrated by way of ei;- ample in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of cabinet in which our eye testing machine is suitably housed,

Figure 2 is a detail elevation of the combined distance and character testing window, and also showing the operating mechanism therefor,

Figure 3 is a vertical section of the window shown in Figure 2 and showing the window in its raised position, y

Figure 4: is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 4 4 of Figure,

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view'taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Figure 1,

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail view illusn trating the ymanner in which the lenses are mounted.

Referringto the drawings more particularly, A indicates generally the cabinet or housing of which 10 is the top, 11 the bottom, 12, the sides, 13 the front wall and 14 the rear wall. One of the sides is provided with a series of superimposed drawers as indicated at 15. Also a drawer 16 is provided in the bottom of the front wall 13, as

. shown.

*made Application mea april 2i,v 192i. serial No. 463,323.

shown.k A display rack 17 may also be suitably secured. upon the front wall, as shown, if so desired. Theinterior surface yof the front wall L13 is formed with a circular recess 18, said recess being enlarged about its edge` as at 19. Centrally of the recess y18 there is journaled inthe wall 13 a shaft 20,l said `shaft having its outer end journaled in `the cross member 21 of the frame generally indicated at 22. The .frame 22 extends from one side of the cabinety 10 to a central point thereof, the purpose of which will later become apparent. Upon the shaft 20 there is secured a sleeve ork collar 23 by the means of a set screw 2-1,

and4 upon the shaft there Ais positioned a .disk wheel 25 which is held against movement upon the shaft by a washer plate indicated at 26, said washer plate being in turn secured against movement with respect to the shaft 2O by the means of a key, as 0n the outer end ofthe shaft 2O there is secuied a knurled nut 27 by which said shaft may be manually rotated. The outer edge'of the disk wheel 25 is disposed inthe enlarged portion 19 of the recess 18, as shown, vand thus forming a space between the inner side of said wheel kand the bottom of the recess 18.

In the disk ywheel 25y there is provided ka series of circumferentially spaced radial openings or slots 28, the outer ends of each slot terminating in a circular opening as at k29. Each of the openings 29 kare adapted to receive an eye lens 30, said lenses being removably held in said openings by the means of a split spring ring as indicated at 31.k

The manner in which the spring rings-31 hold the lenses 30 in positionis well known, and no detailed description will be here As is shown, the lenses 30 of each slot `28k form a pair which are equally spaced. The lenses placed in each pair are successively of greater or less degree of refraction, and the pairs are numbered inconsecutive order, as shown.

In the wall 13 ofthe cabinet A there is provided a pair of spaced openings in which n In the rear wall 14 of the cabinet A there y is hrovided an opening 33 which is in alinement with the eye cups 32. In the inner side edges of this opening there is provided the grooves 34, and also in thetop edge, groove 35. In the bottom edge there is formed a recess 35', said recess being'ada'pted to slidably accommodate a window 'frame 36 which is slidably mounted in the grooves 34. The window frame 36 is slidably positioned in the grooves 341401' verticalmovement, and in this frame there is carried a sheet ot translucent material 37 upon which` there is printed suitable testing sentences as shown at 33. The sentences upon the sheet are written in large type atthe top and 'gradually decrease in size of the type used as they proceed toward the bottom of the sheet, this being the general arrangement used for testing eyes.

Transverseiy of the cabinet iii there eX- tends a rod or shaft 39, said shaft having' its one end journaled in the front wall 13, and its rear end in the rear wall 14. Upon the rear end of the shaft 39 there is secured an arm 41, said arm being tf-shaped as shown, and its outer endfadapted vto normally rest upon the ledge formed by the recess 35 and said arm being also adapted when swung upwardly by the action of the shaft 39, to engage beneath the frame 36 and raise the same in a similar direction. is of course adapted to fall by its own gravity into :its lowered position when not engaged by the arm 40. @n the end or" the arm projecting from the wall 13 there is secured a lnurled nut 41 by which the shaft 39 may be rotated. adjacent the nut 41 a pointer 42 and in radial alinement with said pointer there is printed on the wall 13, the words Rea-ding and Distance as shown at 43 vand 44, respectively. When the pointer assumesthe position in alinement with the vword Reading7 the window frame 36 will then be in` its raised position and close the opening l33, and when the pointer is in alinement with Distance the window y'frame 36 will then be lowered and the opening 33 unobstructed.

@n the inner side of the front wall 13 there is pivotally mounted a lens frame 45 as indicated at 46, said trarne being adapted to suitably support a pair of lenses as indicated at 47, and said lenses being inv turn held in position by spring rings similar to those shown for holding in position the lenses 30. rIhe frame 45 is extended from its pivotal point as at 48, and atl the outer end oi this extension there is pivotally connected a rod 49, said rodpassing `through the top 10 of the cabinet and terminating in a ring 50. By drawingV the rod 50 upwardly the lenses 4T may be brought into registration with the eye cups 32. A suitable stop as indicated at 51 is provided onthe interior The frame 36 Also there is secured on the shaitty o t the wall `13 to limit the downward movement of the lens frame 45.

It may be here added that the lenses mounted inthe framev 45 are suitable for testing for stigrnatism,l that is,.when used in conjunction with a-pair of theY lenses 30.

Inthe operation ot the present device, the person whose eyes are to be tested is seated before thefrontlwalt of the cabinet so that he may lool: through the eye cups 32. The wheel is then .rotated so that the number 4 would occur or wouldregister with the opening 52 formedv inthe wall 13. When this occurs the pair of lenses 30 which are numbered l, arerin register withy the eye cups 32; This pair or" lenses would be the initial and tirstitest ofthe eyes. In case that" these would prove to be too weak with respect-.to the degree of retraction' the disk 25 may then be rotated so that the succeed# ing pair of lenses 30 wouid be brought-into registration with the eye cups 32. The number whichnwould register with the opening 52 in 'thisv casel would thenbe 5. It isvo'y course to be understood 'thatwhen looking through thefeye cups 32 andthepair of lenses 30 which may bein register with said eye cups, that the opening 33 in'ithe rear wall 14'is either closed or opened de-` pending upon whether adistance `test is to be made or a.y reading test. The positiony of the frame for closing theopening 33 would be indicated by the pointer By manipulating or rotating thelwhcel Q5 a personis veyes may be tested through' amide range7 either Ytor distance for reading..

In case the personwhosefeyesarebeing tested may show signs of stigmatism the frame 45 may then be swung `downward into alinement with a pair of the lenses 30 'and the wheelf rotated as vabo-ve described for bringing into alinement the different pairsl ot lenses 30. In this manner the exact-degree of stigmatism may bey determined..

IVhilewehave shown the preferredy construction, combinationy 'andarrangement otour invention, it is to be understood howeverv that we arefaware `of the tact that slight changesmight be-madelby those skilled inthe art without departing from the spirit of our inventiony as indicatedby theV appended claims.y

We claim 1. An eye testing' machine of the charac-v ter described, comprising in combination, a housing, a disk wheel rotatably mounted -in said housing adjacent the front wall thereof. said disk having termed therein a plurality oi circumferentially arranged radial openings, a pairof lensesmountedin each of said openings vandladapted to bey succes sively brought into yregister `with a pair of openings formed in the front wall of saidl housing,y an opening formed in the rear wall of said housing in register with' the opening naief/,77e

in the front wall, a window frame slidable over said openings in the rear wall, a translucent panel carried by said window frame and means by which said windowv frame may be raised and lowered from a position in front of the front wall of said housing.

2. An eye testing machine of the character described, comprising in combination, a housing, a disk wheel rotatably mounted in said housing and positioned adjacent the front wall thereof, said disk wheel having formed therein a plurality of circumferentially arranged openings, a pair of lenses mounted in each of said openings adapted to be successively brought into register with a pair of openings formed in the front wall of the housing and also with an opening` in the rear wall of the housing in alignment with the pair of openings in the front wall of the housing, removable translucent closure for the opening in the rear wall of the housing, and means operable from the front wall of the housing upon the exterior thereof whereby the translucent closure may be caused to close the opening in the rear wall of the housing.

3. An eye testing machine of the character described, comprising in combination, a housing, a disk wheel rotatably supported in said housing adjacent the front wall thereof, said disk wheel having formed therein a plurality of circumferentially arranged radial openings, a pair of` lenses mounted in each of said openings and adapted to be successively brought into register with a pair of openings in the front wall of' the housing and also into register with an opening in the rear wall of the housing which is in alignment with the pair of opensl ings in the front wall of the housing, a translucent panel for the opening in the rear wall of the housing adapted to be raised and lowered for 'opening and closingsaid opening, a rod extending' between the front and rearwalls of the housing, means for manually rotating said rod from they front wall of the housing exterior thereof, and

means connected with the rod whereby the ,v

translucent panel may be raised and lowered. i

a. An' eye testing machine of the character described, comprising in combination, a

housing, a disk wheel rotatably supported the housing and also into register with an opening in' the rear wall of the housing which is in alignment with the pair of openings in the front wall of the housing, a translucent panel for the openings in the rear wall of the housing adapted to be raised and lowered for opening and closing said opening, a rodextending between the front and rear walls of the housing, means for manually rotating said rod from the front wall oi the housing exterior thereof, means connected with the rod whereby the translucent panel may he raised and lowered, and a dial and pointer associated with the rod whereby the position of the 'translucent panel may be indicated.

HENRY DOBSON' REESE.

. JSEPH MARVIN HARLESS. l 

